Syrian Refugees

Floor Speech

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Mr. President, it is clear that the American people are concerned about the administration's ability to properly vet thousands of individuals from Syria. More than half of our Nation's Governors, Governors of both parties, have demonstrated their concern. Many Members in Congress, Members of both parties, have raised concerns as well.

Given all this and given all that has happened in Paris, it simply makes sense to take a step back for now, to press the pause button so we can determine the facts and ensure we have the correct policies and security screenings in place. That is the most responsible thing for the administration to do right now. That is the most reasonable and balanced thing for the administration to do right now.

We should also not lose sight of why we are in this position to begin with. The Syrian people are fleeing Syria because of a brutal civil war. The ultimate solution to this problem is to make Syria a place the Syrian people can continue to return to, but the administration has never had a coherent strategy to settle this conflict. Every single one of us knows that ISIL presents a threat to our homeland, and it is not contained. So if the administration is serious about starting to turn this situation around, then it is going to have to develop a serious and workable strategy that can swing and win strong bipartisan support.

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